International CES 2009
& THE Show ReportPhil Gold's CES / THE Show 2009 Design AwardsArticle By Phil Gold

Ok, so 2009 may not be a
vintage year for breakthrough designs at CES, but some of the sounds make up
for that. That counts for nothing here as I cover just the looks. If it is
looks that count, then these ten components are best of show.

1. PS Audio Perfect Wave
Transport and DACA rather different looking prototype memory
player made the list last year. This year a matching pair of digital
components from PS Audio tops the list. The Perfect Wave Transport reads your
CD into memory and plays back from a large memory buffer (64 MB). It is
claimed to be the first transport capable of Reference recordings DVD based
24-bit/176.4kHz HRx Masters. You can connect the PWT to the internet so it can
access to the song titles and cover art of your recordings. The matching DAC
features upsampling to 176.4kHz or accepts native signals up to 192kHz via an
I2S protocol on an HDMI connection from the Transport. It also
features a high quality volume control so you can attach it directly to your
power amp.This combination is a shot right out of the
park on the technical side and in the looks department, and should be arriving
in stores in the spring.

2. Angelis Labor Sophia
PreamplifierAs preamps go, this one is a beauty. It's a
dual mono two chassis design with a tube based power supply and an active tube
based audio circuit. You can also pick up the identical looking Aratis
monoblocs power amps. You could then go overboard and pick the Gabriel
magnetic levitation turntable as your analog source. This beauty can mount
four tone arms at once. Angelis Labor was founded in February 2008 in Bologna,
Italy. As a special touch, a rear mounting plaque stating the name of the
buyer, the serial number and the date of sale will follow within six weeks of
purchase. I'm thrilled to see such high achievement form a new entrant.

3. Vienna Acoustics –
Klimt "The Kiss" SpeakerThis is the second speaker in this wonderful
new Klimt line from Vienna Acoustics, after the floorstanding “The Music”.
To fully appreciate this design you have to see it and you have to hear it –
this has to be a candidate for the world's best pedestal speaker, supported by
just a slim frame at one side. The top half of the speaker, which houses a
coaxial tweeter/midrange driver, can be rotated for the best sound. The fit
and finish on these Klimt models is to the very highest levels, and the
proprietary drivers so distinctive as to deserve removal of the protective
grills. So which would I go for? I'd take “The Music” if my listening room
could take all that bass energy without overloading, but “The Kiss” would
be the better match and they both look just as good, and far beyond anything
this respected company has produced before.

4. Sennheiser HD800
HeadphonesI've not been a big fan of Sennheiser's high
end headphones in the past. They have never really grabbed me musically, and I
am not a big fan of the tight head-clamping either. You can count me instead
in the AKG camp with the brilliant K1000 and more recently, the spectacular
K701. But Sennheiser must have been reading my mind. Instead of a new tweak on
the HD650, they've produced a clean sheet design to tackle my two pet peeves
head on. The HD800 promises much improved comfort and a far more natural and
spacious sound, albeit at a rather elevated price of $1399.95. Taking a cue
from AKG, the sound comes at an angle to the head for a more speaker-like
soundstage. I can't wait for an extended visit. The design itself is more
futuristic than previous Sennheiser offerings and seems to me an ideal match
of form meets function.

5. Sleek Audio SA6
Wireless EarphonesThis is my first ever winner from the Sands
Exhibit Hall. These canal earphones spring from Sleek Audio's extensive
experience in the custom hearing aid market. Users can tune the SA6 earphones
to match their own preferences using the VQ system which permits the treble
and bass ports to be changed. The SA6 is further customizable to the precise
fit of the user's ears from wax impressions of the ear canals. The icing on
the cake is a simple connector at the earpiece which lets you use the phones
either wired or wireless using the SA6W-1 Kleer wireless technology, which
provides up to 10 hours of listening on single charge. I love it, and I'm
planning a full road test.

6. Gemme Audio Phoenix
Green Gem Loudspeaker SystemThis is not your grandfather's radiogram.
The Phoenix Green Gem (Phoenix standing for rebirth) is a an elegant bass
cabinet with two matching satellite speakers, handmade for those few who can
afford the $50,000 price tag and want to make a visual, as well as audio,
statement. This spatially coherent design features BREATHE bass loading
technology in which breathing holes are used in place of the usual bass reflex
vent tubes. Although each of the two 15-inch drivers has a 6mm excursion
capacity, in practice they barely move even under demanding low bass musical
content. This translates into lowered distortion and high dynamic range. Each
Soprano mini speaker features a 6-inch midrange and a 1-inch horn super
tweeter to cover the higher frequencies. The three cabinets combine to give
you an efficiency of 100dB/W/m. You can close the doors on the Bass cabinet
when not in use to show off the wonderful finish.

7. Magico V2 and M5
SpeakersI have enjoyed my time with Magico speakers
in the past, but nothing prepared me for how wonderful the $90,000 M5 sounded
in Vegas, nor how magnificent the $18,000 V2 could be at its much lower price
point. These are the speakers I'll be taking with me to that desert island.
And they look every inch the part, with the unvarnished wood cabinet
constructed from laminated strips of 17 ply Baltic birch plywood with solid
aluminum baffle making a very distinctive impression.

8. Primare DVD-I10
Integrated DVD/CD/Tuner/AmpI could easily pick any product in the
Primare range for a design award. You'll find the consistency of excellent
design there that marks the best design houses, like Meridian, Luxman, PS
Audio, Quad, Conrad Johnson or VAC. This particular design is the Swiss army
knife of audio and AV components. It sells for a very reasonable $2495 and its
list of features include 2 x 75 w Class D amp, sub out, iPod interface, 1080p
DVD, RS232, HDMI out, AM/FM radio and headphone output. Like the other Primare
components the DVD-I10 is available in black or titanium finish.

9. Ayra C1 and C2
SpeakersLars Christensen from Raidho Acoustics was
happy to show me the new Ayra speakers – the C1 and C2. They boast some
pretty impressive technology and superb fit and finish, including a wonderful
Walnut burl veneer, black piano finish and all possible paint colors. The C2
(around $24,000), making its first US appearance, employs two advanced ceramic
4.5” drivers paired with a sealed planar ribbon tweeter. Designer Per
Bendsken stands proudly by a black piano finish C2. The C1 (around
$15,000) drops one 4.5-inch driver and features the most unusual stand, which
allows the speaker to sway back and forth as if on a shock absorber, eschewing
the normal approach of a rigid support in favor of a light weight non resonant
approach.

10. Avalon Aspect SpeakersAvalon Acoustics has come up with a very simple new shape for its Aspect speaker A. This floorstander has legs which are an extension of the sides of the speaker. The tweeter is a
1-inch proprietary composite Neodymium based unit while Twin Nomex Kevlar composite cone
7-inch drivers provide the muscle in this high efficiency design. The Aspects will retail for $8495 a pair.